KUALA LUMPUR: The 999-voice service remains the primary channel for emergency assistance under the new NG MERS999 platform, Telekom Malaysia (TM) clarified on Thursday (Nov 20).
In a statement, TM announced that the SaveME999 mobile application serves as a complementary channel for reaching emergency services.
The company acknowledged that some Malaysians experienced difficulty reaching the 999 hotline and faced slower emergency response times during the early phase of the NG MERS 999 migration. They assured that every incident is being treated with the highest priority.
"Upon this migration, we observed a surge in call volume. While the previous system averaged around 50,000 calls per day, the new NG MERS 999 received close to 70,000 calls per day.
"About 5% of the calls were genuine emergencies, with the rest being silent and prank calls. However, the number of actual emergency incidents remained unchanged, averaging 3,500 emergency reports dispatched per day," they stated.
TM clarified that the sudden spike affected system performance, and immediate measures have been taken to restore the service, including increasing server capacity and optimising the servers' configuration.
"Additional resources were mobilised in the call centre to cope with the high-volume calls," they added.
The previous 17-year-old MERS999 platform was upgraded as it had reached its technical limits and could no longer support the country's evolving emergency requirements.
"NG MERS 999 was introduced to enhance accessibility, strengthen multi-agency coordination, and align Malaysia with modern international emergency standards," it said.
TM is committed to ensuring better services to the public and has taken a proactive role in working with all five emergency agencies — the Health Ministry, Royal Malaysia Police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency — to resolve the issues and ensure seamless end-to-end emergency operations.
"Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these matters and to ensure that every Malaysian can get help quickly and reliably, whether through the 999 voice service or the digital channel.
"We appeal to the public to use the 999 service responsibly, as unnecessary or prank calls can prevent those in real emergencies from getting the help they need. Reducing such misuse will greatly enhance the efficiency and responsiveness of the operations," the statement read. – Bernama
